Digging Out

More Reader Pics of the Storm

Thanks to Megan for these great shots!

Thanks to Tom for this shot of the Courthouse during the storm....

And thanks to Larry for these beautiful shots...

Blizzard Watch Now in Effect for New York City

The National Weather Service has just upgraded its forecast to a Blizzard Watch for the New York City area, with the storm beginning Monday and continuing maybe into Tuesday night. This forecast is reminding me of the Blizzard of 1996, when the city received about two feet of snow over two days.

Blizzard of 1996

Central Park after the blizzard of Jan. 7-8, 1996

Dumping more than 20 inches of snow in Central Park, the blizzard of Jan. 7-8, 1996, marked the second biggest snowstorm in New York City history. With winds gusting to more than 50 miles an hour, the powerful nor'easter caused widespread power outages, scores of fatalities and $1 billion in damages from Washington, D.C. to Boston.

Thousands of travelers were stranded at City airports, bus terminals, and highway rest stops as transportation ground to a halt. On Jan. 8, New York City public and parochial schools were ordered closed, several Broadway shows canceled performances, and the New York Stock Exchange had a short day.

Dozens of deaths were attributed to the storm, including a Connecticut man and two New Jersey men who suffered heart attacks while shoveling snow.

As 26,528 tons of salt was spread on City roads, snow was hauled to designated vacant lots and parking areas or dumped into the East and Hudson Rivers. By the end of the 1995-1996 winter season, New York City had experienced 16 snowstorms and recorded more than 89 inches of snow.

Act One of Arctic Plunge

The messy storm that's pulling away from the area today is most likely the Opening Act of what is forecast to be a memorable and rather nasty run of bitter cold and snowy weather for the New York City area over the next few weeks.

That news might be as comforting to some as this scene in Forest Hills this morning:

Snowy Queens Boulevard

Snow Plow Shatters Exo Cafe Windows

This happened Thursday night at Exo Cafe on Austin St., according to NBC news. I've included a link to the story below the video.


Snow From Plow Truck Shatters Restaurant Windows, Knocks Over Customer

The incident happened at Exo Cafe, shown here under construction a few years ago.

Impending Ice Storm

This is looking more and more serious for the area...

A Different Kind of Snow

I don't know if you noticed, but it seemed to me that Monday's snowstorm had a different feel to it. It didn't seem as harsh as last month's storm. Instead, it transformed Forest Hills and other parts of the city into a gentler winter wonderland. It probably was because it was a warmer snow, which made it stick to trees, and some other familiar things around the city, coating them with a layer of white that took a little of the typical edge off the city.

Talk Amongst Yourselves

As I slowly recuperate from the "cold from hell," I invite you all to talk amongst yourselves about whatever is on your minds (except the high rents landlords are charging local businesses on Austin St., overpriced slices of cake and new condos you don't find attractive enough to spend $600,000 on.) Otherwise, the floor is all yours until I can manage to sleep more than half an hour at a time without being awoken by another round of coughing.

Oh, and enjoy the snow! Or, if you have to drive or wait for the bus during it, hate the snow! I feel your pain!

By the way, word is that a storm forecast for this weekend may be a Biggie, but of course it's still too soon to know for sure.

Some "Day After" Photos

If you have any good photos of the storm, send them to edgeofthecity@gmail.com

 

Some Beautful Winter Wonderland Pics

Here's a link to some great photos taken last night in Forest Hills:

Alicia Kwoka Photography

Wintry Scenes

It's fitting to close out the holiday season with these beautiful winter scenes from in front of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs. I love how perfect the snow drift is in the first pic.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks to Sasha for sending in this very nice holiday decorations pic. If you want your own posted, email it to me at edgeofthecity@gmail.com

Worst News for Weather Weary

I just watched this video from one of my most trusted weather persons over at Accuweather.com and he is pretty certain that a week from today we will be digging out from another major blizzard. I know, I know... a week away? Forget it! It will never happen. The only problem is he has been pretty on target this winter, especially with these long-term forecasts.

Hibernation

I was in Manhattan, the Upper East Side, last night and I have to say things were eerily quiet. Either everyone has flown south for the winter, or they are all just in hibernation having given up trying to fight this amazingly arduous winter. Maybe they will all just emerge in April, when the long-term forecast I recently saw at AccuWeather predicts the storms and cold will finally cease? (This week, the forecast calls for a "sloppy" storm Tuesday into Wednesday (snow, sleet, ice, rain) and then another snowstorm by the weekend. And then, talk is of a huge storm, maybe the biggest of the year so far, around Feb. 12th. Like I've said before, you either love it or hate it I guess. When it comes to snow, it's rare to find someone who just kinda likes it, or just kinda doesn't, isn't it?

My point of view? Enjoy it! I mean, really, what other choice do you have? A couple of more months and it will be Spring and this will all just be a memory.

Also, this winter has also given us scenes like this one below that I snapped last eve in Central Park looking towards 5th Ave., just north of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It truly was a Winter Wonderland.